Ling Xiao took a long, deliberate pause, causing Nuwa's heart to rise and fall in a frantic rhythm of uncertainty.
"Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao, what exactly do you mean by this?"
Nuwa asked, her voice laced with suspicion and confusion. She could not fathom why Ling Xiao would reject the Heavenly Marriage and then immediately pivot back to the subject of her Karma.
"I observe that Fellow Daoist Nuwa's cultivation appears to have encountered a significant obstruction. You intend to utilize Heavenly Karma to push your progress to the next level, is that not so?"
Ling Xiao asked with a faint smile, his gaze appearing deep and unfathomably profound.
In truth, he was merely putting on an air of mystery, but in Nuwa's eyes, his stature grew inexplicably grand.
After all, Ling Xiao's history and his various past actions had already led Nuwa to view him as a figure who could not be gauged by common logic.
"I indeed harbor such an intention. If it were achieved, it would bring benefits to everyone involved." Nuwa paused for a moment and then admitted the truth; since she had already been seen through, there was no point in further evasion, which would only invite mockery.
This was not a sinister plot; she acted with a clear conscience and an upright heart.
It was something that could be discussed openly in the light of day.
"Actually, I believe that if one seeks Karma, it is not strictly necessary to validate the Heavenly Marriage."
Ling Xiao continued his train of thought.
At those words, Nuwa's expression shifted instantly. She blurted out, "Why does Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao say such a thing?"
She felt a sudden resonance; Ling Xiao's words allowed her to scent the fragrance of a genuine Opportunity.
If any other being had spoken such words to her, Nuwa might not have given it a second thought. But the man standing before her was almost universally recognized as the peerless number one existence beneath the Saints in the current Honghuang World.
His words carried an extraordinary weight of conviction.
"You serve as the Master of the Yao Race, commanding the myriad demons. Have you ever considered creating or popularizing a written language that belongs uniquely to the Yao Race?"
Ling Xiao spoke slowly, carefully observing Nuwa's reaction.
"A script belonging to the Yao Race? A Demon Script?"
Nuwa's eyes flickered with a changing light, her brow furrowing slightly as she began to ponder and Deduce.
A short while later, her brow smoothed out. Her jade-like face brightened as if a hundred flowers had bloomed at once.
Through her deduction and her innate intuition, she sensed that this was indeed a monumental Opportunity.
"Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao, could you please explain the details to me?"
Nuwa's phoenix-like eyes stared directly at Ling Xiao, filled with a shimmering light of expectation. She had caught a glimmer of the path, but she remained unclear on how to manifest it.
"You two continue your chat; we are returning to our Cultivation."
Just as Ling Xiao was about to speak, Dijun and Tai Yi stood up. They were shoving and pushing one another, whispering as they quickly made their exit. Their retreating backs appeared hurried and strangely awkward.
There was a distinct air of "skulking away" about them.
"What are you doing?"
Ling Xiao raised a hand as if to call them back, but eventually lowered it. This was a perfectly serious topic; why did their behavior suddenly make the atmosphere feel so peculiar?
Nuwa, however, gave them no thought. Her gaze remained fixed on Ling Xiao with a bright, expectant intensity, as if a river of stars had fallen into her eyes.
Her mind was entirely focused on the creation of the Demon Script; she was waiting for Ling Xiao's answer. Regarding the strange behavior of Dijun and Tai Yi, she didn't even cast a sideways glance.
Ling Xiao cleared his throat and straightened his posture. He began to slowly speak, laying out the concepts as he understood them.
In reality, he didn't truly know what the "Demon Script" was supposed to look like.
However, he assumed it would be similar to the pictographic characters of his past life.
The essence was the same.
Regardless of the culture, all writing systems initially began as pictographs.
Only a few low-level civilizations were the exception.
Ling Xiao spoke from above, while Nuwa sat below, meticulously recording every word. She analyzed his points and performed a dialectic search within her own mind.
At her Realm, she did not lack for great wisdom; understanding these concepts was a simple task.
All she had lacked was the initial spark—the catalyst.
A short while later.
Ling Xiao finally concluded his lecture. To ensure that Nuwa's strength would not be utterly crushed by the Ancestral Witches, he had spent a considerable amount of effort on this guidance.
"Fellow Daoist Nuwa, do you understand what I have explained?"
"Listening to Fellow Daoist's words is worth ten thousand years of solitary labor!"
Nuwa spoke with a voice full of surprise and joy, a statement that nearly caused Ling Xiao to choke.
"Since that is the case, if you still have areas of uncertainty, do not come to ask me further. Regarding the specific details of the Demon Script, you may go and consult the Kunpeng of your Yao Race."
Ling Xiao added, giving Nuwa a "preventative shot." When it came to the actual systematization of the Demon Script, Kunpeng was the true expert.
"Uh... then I thank Fellow Daoist for his guidance." Nuwa spoke with a touch of bewilderment. Ling Xiao's sudden turn in the conversation was quite sharp.
She had expected him to say, "If you don't understand, come and ask me."
Instead, he had said, "Even if you don't understand, do not come back."
Furthermore, she couldn't understand why he was directing her to consult Kunpeng.
"Very well, let us end it here. If Fellow Daoist has no further business, then I ask you to return."
Ling Xiao stood up, signaling the end of the meeting. He had explained as much as he could; if Nuwa still failed to manifest the Demon Script, he could no longer be blamed.
Nuwa did not rise immediately. She remained silent for a moment before asking:
"Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao, could you tell me... why did you have Bai Ze seek me out to lead the Yao Race all those eons ago?"
This question had haunted her for many tens of thousands of years.
She had never truly understood Ling Xiao's motive for doing so.
Upon hearing the question, Ling Xiao replied with an air of complete indifference, "Fellow Daoist Nuwa, I believe you have misunderstood. I never instructed Bai Ze to find you."
"At that time, my intention was for him to invite the Sanqing to take the lead. I had not expected him to seek you out instead. One can only say it was the will of Heaven; it was not my intended course."
He explained casually, his gaze showing no trace of deception—he appeared perfectly candid.
"Is that the truth?" Nuwa looked at him with suspicion, not entirely convinced, yet she could find no logical ground to refute him.
"It is the truth!" Ling Xiao nodded, his face full of certainty.
Given such an answer, Nuwa did not press the matter. Her mind was now entirely consumed by the creation of the Demon Script, and she had no intention of lingering.
After departing from the Sun Star, she hesitated for a moment but decided to visit the Taiyin Star after all.
Though the Heavenly Marriage had failed, she owed the Moon Palace Fairies an explanation.
Nuwa felt a bit of a headache coming on. In truth, she had suffered no loss on this trip; she had simply exchanged the Heavenly Marriage for the creation of the Demon Script.
But the situation with the Moon Palace sisters was difficult to handle.
She had previously given them her solemn guarantee that the marriage was a certainty. Now, the plan had collapsed...
Nuwa steeled herself and arrived at the Taiyin Star.
The moment the two sisters of the Moon Palace saw Nuwa, they could not restrain themselves from asking, their expressions filled with an indescribable, hopeful shyness.
"Sister... how did it go?"
The two women were filled with a strange sort of joy, assuming the matter had been successfully concluded.
Seeing this, Nuwa sighed inwardly. You rejoiced far too early...
She pondered her words for a moment and then spoke.
"Little sisters, it is like this: I conveyed the matter of the Heavenly Marriage to Ling Xiao. He expressed interest, but Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao believes that at this moment, one should prioritize Cultivation. He is not currently considering the matter of marriage."
Nuwa explained with extreme tact, avoiding a direct, blunt rejection.
As the words were spoken, the smiles on the faces of the Moon Palace Fairies froze. Subsequently, the entire atmosphere of the Taiyin Star seemed to plummet into a deep, freezing chill.
They were not fools; they understood exactly what those words implied. To put it bluntly: they had been rejected. They were not deemed worthy.
"Little sisters, this was my own miscalculation. Please accept these two Spirit Treasures as my apology."
Feeling the weight of her failed promise, Nuwa produced two Innate Spirit Treasures and gifted them to the Moon Palace Fairies before hastily departing from the Taiyin Star.